GPA question...newbie here

[holybatman]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this board, but I was hoping I could get someone's opinion on my chances at getting into a decent graduate program in a couple years. I have a sorta unique situation as I attended a community college directly out of high school, I had several "rough" semesters due to family problems and frankly, immaturity, however I was able to withdraw from many of those classes preventing permanent transcript damage. (A lot of W's!) Last year I got my act together and transferred to Winthrop University. I was able to keep a 3.82 GPA last year and anticipate further success. (I'm going back to the community college this summer and next to do some make up work and make it look presentable.) Basically my question is, will my past academic transgressions come back to haunt me during the application process, or will the strong trend of success bail me out?[

[purplepepper]

you're fine. Ad coms aren't interested in how immature you were in the past but rather in how mature you have become. Just get your ideas focused and write a good statement. your grades should be the least of your worries.

[natofone]

I went to a CC (and then a crappy state school) because of family reasons and ended up getting into Michigan and Chicago for MA programs. You might have problems applying directly to PhD programs. I struck out completely and my only glaring weakness is weak undergraduate reputation. I've been told that GRE scores are very important for people with backgrounds like ours. It can make people look past a community college transcript. Another option would be to first do an MA at a top school and then apply once you've proven yourself.